Sri Lankans in the UAE have spent sleepless nights trying to reach family at home cut off from communication after devastating flash floods and catastrophic landslides killed more than 350 people.
UAE residents are worried about relatives isolated in hilly central and northern areas after a deadly cyclone pounded the country, leaving more than 300 people missing. Citizens in the UAE are working with community associations and school alumni groups in contact with the Sri Lankan army to deliver clothing packages to families at home.
From Tears to Smiles – Helping Hands for Sri Lanka is among the initiatives aiming to help people in the UAE send packages to displaced people in shelters.
“This is 10 times worse than the 2004 Tsunami because it has affected the entire country and not just some parts, this has never happened before,” Ishtiyak Raziq, a Sri Lankan banker in the UAE told The National. “My cousin’s home in Colombo is under eight feet of water, some cities and villages are washed out. But we still have hope and want to help as many people as we can.”
The UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed has issued instructions for a search and rescue operation as well as relief supplies to support those affected. Sri Lanka’s President Anura Dissanayake has said “the largest and most challenging” cyclone was the first to cause devastation across the island nation in its history.
Torrential rain and clusters of the cyclone also hit Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, resulting in more than 1,300 deaths. The number of casualties is likely to rise across South-East Asia.
Support for displaced
Sri Lankans in the UAE have identified suppliers at home and are making online payments for clothing and bedding supplies.
The first batch of more than 4,500 packages of clothes, diapers, sanitary towels and bedsheets have been paid for by Sri Lankans in the UAE and will be taken by the army on Tuesday to be distributed in the central region.
“Associations and school alumni groups are speaking to the armed forces in Sri Lanka to find out exactly what is needed. We realise that people are getting meals but what they really need is bedsheets, towels and clothes,” Mr Raziq said.
“People are purchasing clothes care packages online, this goes directly to the supplier and the army will start despatching to those in need. We are helping people get clothing and after a few weeks we will check to see if people need housing supplies, utensils.”
Sri Lankan residents are praying for flood water levels to recede so they can communicate with family in badly hit areas struck by landslides. Photographs and videos in the media show homes flattened across wide areas of land with people returning to salvage belongings.
“We have not seen damage this bad in our history. Many people in the UAE are praying for flood waters to go down so they can get in touch with relatives in areas that are completely cut off without electricity, communication,” said Shanaka Perera, the president of Sahana, a Sri Lanka welfare association in the UAE.
“Roads are blocked due to the landslides and people are isolated so it’s a struggle to reach supplies and support. The devastation is just too much.”
More rainfall is expected in Sri Lanka in the coming days, and authorities fear that there will be further damage. Millions of people across South-East Asia have been affected by Cyclone Senyar, which swept through Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, and Cyclone Ditwah, which hit Sri Lanka and India.
Helicopters have been used to deliver aid and supplies as cities and towns were cut off by landslides, leaving main roads impassable. More than four million people in the region have been affected by the floods, according to state officials and media reports.
